Been looking for a tablet and at 200$ I had to give the rt a try . I'm so happy I did. Sure there aren't tons of apps for windows but there are so many pros . And at the price I am so happy I got it. Would love to know if anyone else is surprised as I am with their purchase.
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Anybody take advantage of the Surface RT deal?
- Thread starter mtenuta
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Thought about it too. But I'm worried about RT getting the boot too. I have a MacBook Pro and iPad anyway. I just throw them in a bag and walk out the door.
People can complain all they want about it not being ideal to work on, but the fact is that I've already invested $300+ in apps for the iPad, plus the additional hardware. I would be stupid to let that all go just to get a better device to deal with it all.
People can complain all they want about it not being ideal to work on, but the fact is that I've already invested $300+ in apps for the iPad, plus the additional hardware. I would be stupid to let that all go just to get a better device to deal with it all.
No, that hardware was a first iteration and is spanked by the latest offerings. It sold for so little because it's worth so little. Next year you may consider this years devices, but last years are just not worth it.
Best Buy cannot give them away. The OS is a risk to spend on besides the next gen blowing it away.
For $100 more, Microsoft stores have the Asus T100TA with full Windows 8.1 AND Office Suite AND 64GB. Need I say more!
I got in on the preview of that deal 2 months ago ($199 for 32GB RT w/Touch Cover). I wouldn't have purchased it for the full retail of $349, but at $199 it is a steal. 10" Cheap Chinese Android tablets sell for $100+ but for something with this build quality, MS Office, and a few other benefits it is worth it.
With WinRT 8.1 and a few registry tweaks, the RT performance is adequate. I use mine almost exclusively as a netbook replacement. My 64GB iPad 4 is still my go-to device, but if the app situation improves, I can see spending more time on the RT.
And no, RT is NOT going to be killed off by Microsoft, not for at least 3 more years. Microsoft had a press release about year ago guaranteeing RT support for 4 years.
Bashing RT is en vogue so the drive-by comments are expected.
In case you haven't seen this video... it's "epic":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VYf5MWyTn8
I would never buy anything "RT" related. It's a dead OS and Microsoft will drop it. The only Surface tablet anyone should even think about is one that operates on Windows 8.1.
Good for you. But yeah Microsoft might stick to its guns here. On x86 devs still need to write metro apps tabt are touch friendly. All those metro apps run on Windows RT. Win win.
RT is not for everyone. But if it gets all the popular tablets apps then who needs the desktop for a nice consumer tablet?
Here's what I don't understand: RT made sense last year, when the x86 was either extremely expensive or you're dealing with subpar performance. Not to mention battery life was terrible. Now, with bay trail, you have similar power AND battery life out of x86 as you do with an ARM processor. Why would you want a crippled Windows experience when there's no real benefit to it?
IMO Windows tablets don't make sense with RT. May as well go Android or iOS. Windows x86 tablets, on the other hand, are game changers. Microsoft needs to put more stock into x86 and Intel needs to continue to improve their processors to compete with ARM architecture.
IMO Windows tablets don't make sense with RT. May as well go Android or iOS. Windows x86 tablets, on the other hand, are game changers. Microsoft needs to put more stock into x86 and Intel needs to continue to improve their processors to compete with ARM architecture.
What's to understand? It's a $500 device that was reduced to $350 that was selling for $200 or less. Make a decision based on what one is getting for that price... It's not more complicated than that.
If you're trying to say that an RT device isn't worth as much as one running full Win8.1, you won't get an argument from anyone... I think we all agree with that.
Why are x86 tablets game changers though? They have been around for years. They are only getting traction now because of Metro - which is basically Windows RT. Windows tablet NEVER got anywhere because they didn't work well with touch, needs fans/cooling too thick too heavy etc like the surface pro still is.
Windows RT offers two things - a clean break from all those troublesome malware, virus, toolbar ad ons, etc. They offer a touch first experience for tablets, think fanless design, better GPU for gaming than the atom chips. Etc
What x86 app do you want to install on a 8inch tablet like the Dell Venue 8 pro?
I thought about it.
For about a minute.
Then I picked up my iPad and forgot all about it and haven't thought about it till I saw this thread. I'm about to forget about it again.
For about a minute.
Then I picked up my iPad and forgot all about it and haven't thought about it till I saw this thread. I'm about to forget about it again.
For $100 more, Microsoft stores have the Asus T100TA with full Windows 8.1 AND Office Suite AND 64GB. Need I say more!
That's a no brainer IMO. Why compromise so deeply and lose "windows"? I've seen the T100 for $379 here and there so really another $79 these days.
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They are game changers because they now have the same battery life, same thinness, same weight, etc as the ipad. The ipad brought the tablet age single handed and gave consumers a benchmark which we can never go back from. Windows tablets prior to this didn't get anywhere because they were thick, heavy, clunky, slow, and windows was completely unoptimized for touch screens. Those things are not true anymore, except win 8 is still a bit clunky and it's not quite there yet in terms of touch.
What I don't understand is that with x86 tablets you GET Metro/RT, you don't lose anything and gain everything. People saying ARM has a better GPU kind of sound ridiculous, better GPU to play what? Jetpack joyride? Lol. You can enjoy your Angry Birds on an arguably better GPU on the surface 2 (not the subject of this thread), and I'll enjoy Crysis, Skyrim, Torchlight, etc on my Baytrail tablet.
I get the "dumb tablet" mentality. I get that grandma doesn't want malware on her ipad and has no idea what that means. Windows 8 certainly has a lot of weak points that it needs to work on, including touch optimization. I just think not everything needs to be so dumbed down. In any event RT will never out ipad the ipad, that $900 million dollar loss and seeing these units go for $199 is a pretty solid testament to that.
Never say never
Once the Windows Store picks up and Windows RT and windows Phone merge what besides the coolness factor will the iPad have over a Surface 3 or 4? Who knows what the future will bring?
I know.Never say never
Once the Windows Store picks up and Windows RT and windows Phone merge what besides the coolness factor will the iPad have over a Surface 3 or 4? Who knows what the future will bring?
I predicted the Black Friday doorbuster deals on the RT. (among other things that have come to pass) I'm a fan of the Surface RT. But the RT is not going to be viable for long. Microsoft "promised" (a year ago) 4 years of support for the RT. Whatever THAT means. Microsoft has a recent track record of orphaning devices when making a significant step... (WP7 -> WP8). Given that the low-end Lumia 520 is a hot commodity in Europe, I don't see Microsoft raising the bar for WP8 devices to be able to run WinRT. It is more likely that WinRT devices will be "dialed down" to run WP8 apps.
The result will be more apps for the Surface RT/2 but it'll end up being at the expense of some of the more "pro" features, like the desktop.
(they don't call me "NostraThomas" for nothin')
Obviously my claims of infallibility are just in jest, but consider what I"m saying.
P.S. I just picked up a Lumia 520 a few days ago for $67 (no contract)... what a neat smartphone!
Never say never
Once the Windows Store picks up and Windows RT and windows Phone merge what besides the coolness factor will the iPad have over a Surface 3 or 4? Who knows what the future will bring?
Yeah, the one thing MS has going for it is money. I know that's what they did with the xbox, they kept throwing money at it until it became dominant. MS may just throw enough money at RT that with enough time maybe it will stick. It still doesn't make sense to me though, why give up so much functionality? But I don't mean to speak for other people, if it works for you then more power to you.
I know.
Microsoft has a recent track record of orphaning devices when making a significant step... (WP7 -> WP8). Given that the low-end Lumia 520 is a hot commodity in Europe, I don't see Microsoft raising the bar for WP8 devices to be able to run WinRT. It is more likely that WinRT devices will be "dialed down" to run WP8 apps.
The result will be more apps for the Surface RT/2 but it'll end up being at the expense of some of the more "pro" features, like the desktop.
(they don't call me "NostraThomas" for nothin')
Obviously my claims of infallibility are just in jest, but consider what I"m saying.
P.S. I just picked up a Lumia 520 a few days ago for $67 (no contract)... what a neat smartphone!
This.
However I haven't met a person who actually cares about metro apps.
spinedoc hit the nail on the head... it's just about on par with ARM when it comes to packaging, battery life, performance and so on. Unlike what you wrote, Bay Trail is fanless, no battery compromises, no performance penalties, not thicker or heavier and so on. Except for one thing: when you want to run a native Windows app, you can.
As far as malware and so on... you're missing the point. For someone who wants laptop functionality sometimes and tablet experience most of the time it's perfect. Why have a tablet and a laptop when you can kill two birds with one stone for the same price?
The Dell Venue 8 Pro example is a perfect one. You'd use it as a tablet when you're on the go and when you're at home and need productivity, plug it into your USB hub with a monitor, keyboard and mouse and all of the sudden you have a desktop. When I'm traveling this would be perfect, even if using a native app isn't perfect on an 8" screen, you can use a stylus and get by.
Let me give you a simple example of why I'm considering buying one. When I'm racing and use a GoPro & QStarz (among other instrumentation), I can review everything without lugging a laptop. If I want to take the GoPro video and throw it into Movie Maker for some quick editing and upload it to YouTube, no problem. This is something I CAN"T do with a tablet, both iOS and Android. QStarz has no software for these devices and the movie editing software is extremely limited.
Here's another: when I go on vacation I don't need to lug around a laptop with me, if I have the power of a tablet and a laptop in one. 99% I really just need a tablet but bring the laptop with me just in case.
If you like to remote into your home or office and require certain VPN software... install it and RDP into your machine.
If you're used to working in Photoshop, GIMP or Paint.NET and need some advanced features while you're on the road... booyah.
I'm sure there are a million uses. That's the reason we all have laptops. A tablet is a secondary device. With the "Windows Pro" tablets it can be both.
The problem is that it is just as worthless (and doomed) a device at $200 as it was at $500.
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By what measure are they dominant?
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The thing people seem to forget in these comparisons is that there is another tablet OS out at the moment which does not have a lot of the limitations that iPad has.
Limitations that Windows RT is supposedly the cure for - better multitasking, ability to display more than one app on screen, support for USB memory, mice, keyboards and game controllers, full filesystem access and file managers, easy sharing of files and data between apps, less restrictive policy on apps, multiple user accounts, expandable storage, and more.
It's called Android and it already has 70% of the tablet market worldwide and it is being improved and attracting developers at a much more rapid pace than Windows RT is.
If I could find one I'd be interested, but I haven't found a 7-8 inch tablet yet that supports an external monitor running Windows 8.1. Venue 8 Pro included.